Age-related effects on the acquisition of a foreign language phonology in a formal setting (original) (raw)

successfully completed but for the invaluable guidance, help, and support of many people. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all of them. First and foremost, I am very grateful to my supervisors, Dr Carme Muñoz Lahoz and Dr Ian R. A. MacKay. Dr Muñoz's unconditional support since 1997, when she first hired me to work as an undergraduate assistant on the Barcelona Age Factor (BAF) project, has been paramount in the origin, development, and completion of this dissertation. Then, over my four-year period as a PhD student research assistant on the BAF project and until the present day I have been privileged to benefit from Dr Muñoz's expertise in L2 acquisition and the age factor. Moreover, her "permission" to mine the project's data for phonological aspects of L2 acquisition provided me with a golden opportunity to combine my two major research interests, namely phonetics and English learning as an FL. Dr Muñoz's methodological and research advice, and many comments on the contents and editing of the present study have been crucial. At a more personal level, I would also like to thank her for being so patient and skilful at handling the various crises of confidence I went through either in Barcelona or overseas. If I may, I think it is fair to say that this dissertation would not have come to light without Dr Muñoz's guidance and confidence in my work. Dr MacKay first "came to the rescue" in the summer of 1999, when I was stuck with the first results obtained on the production task, by welcoming me as a visiting scholar at the Linguistics Department of the University to Ottawa. Without doubt, his suggestion that I carry out a foreign accent study with my data was vital in the development of this dissertation. I am thankful to Dr MacKay for providing the equipment, facilities, and English listeners, so that the first accent study not only became a reality but opened the doors for subsequent research under his supervision. My gratitude is further extended for his acceptance to co-direct this dissertation, whereby I have been very fortunate to benefit from his research guidance, valuable advice, and comments on content and editing, and continued support. Finally, I am very grateful to Dr MacKay for his help with everyday matters during all my short-term and long-term stays in Ottawa and for giving me the opportunity to experience the Canadian cottage life at Tenpenny Lake in the Gatineau Hills.